How do you like your job?

Specialties Public/Community

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Specializes in Postpartum, L&D, Mother-Baby.

So, I am working on a mother baby unit and I am considering moving on to public health. Just wanted to know how some of you like public health. What are some pros and cons, and do you miss the floor?

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Specializes in CCM, PHN.

Depends on what you mean specifically by "public health." Going into "public health" can mean about 100 different nursing jobs! I was a PHN for 4 years and worked in clinics, did home visits, community health education, case management, disease management, staff education, immunization campaigns, well baby/WIC exams, elder care, HIV testing and counseling, diabetes prevention stuff.......sometimes I sat at a desk, sometimes I busted my butt in a clinic, sometimes drove all over town to collaborate with community organizations or do home visits, sometimes gave presentations to hundreds of people, sometimes worked in mobile clinics in trailers, sometimes staffed booths at community health events.

I loved it and never missed floor nursing for a second. Just be aware PH nursing isn't just one job/position.....there are tons of things PHNs do. Good luck!

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Specializes in Critical Care, Postpartum.

mclennan: Your resume is so diverse in PH! I'm only starting my young nursing career as a volunteer at my state's DOH, while I'm working at the hospital (for income and experience purposes). There's so many programs offered at the DOH as you mentioned, but I'm starting in their breast and cervical cancer program.

In my community health clinical, I worked alongside a nurse at a community health center and enjoyed it. I got to form a bond with many of the residents within that community. We did a group education project about common chronic illnesses the community was experiencing, such as asthma and I enjoyed the whole experience. I'm hoping the passion will be ignited within me during my volunteer experience at the DOH.

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I love public health! I am a visiting PHN for pregnant moms and moms of small children. I am in the office some of the time, and some of the time at people's homes. I also go to many networking/education events to help coordinate care. I worked in the hospital for over 10 years, and I don't miss floor nursing at all ( I do have some good memories there, but the bad was far outweighing the good for me, which is why I had to leave). I always loved education and prevention, so public health is just a wonderful fit for me! As the previous post mentioned, there are lots of different roles in public health. In my local health dept, there are PHN that work with the elderly, some that case manage critically ill kids, some that manage foster care children, infectious disease PHN, and others.Maybe you could shadow a PHN if you want to see what it looks like. I Love it!! Good luck :-) PS- I did take a massive paycut for this job, but I am at a point where I was willing to do that for the payoff of a job that I love

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I love public health!! I wear many hats so it is always interesting. I would have to say the only con is the low pay.

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Specializes in CCM, PHN.

The pay wasn't that crazy low. A little lower than med surg but I certainly didn't starve! The trade off is that a lot of PH jobs are with municipalities (City, County, State, Federal entities) so they usually come with good union protection and awesome benefits!

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Specializes in Postpartum, L&D, Mother-Baby.

Thanks for all the feedback!

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I'm a new PHN, coming from the floor setting. My job in PH is the Communicable Disease Nurse, and I love it! I investigate into all the reportable diseases that are happening in my county, from STDs to TB and everything in between! I also am backup for our immunization/family planning clinic.

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Love to hear everyone's input and experiences....this is the area I would like to go into.

Hope I have the opportunity one day!

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Specializes in OB-Gyn/Primary Care/Ambulatory Leadership.

I've only been on the job for three days, but so far I love it. :)

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Specializes in L&D; Post-Op Med/Surg.

I have a question. Where do you find the PHN jobs, seriously? I looked at the Harris County Health Department, as I am near Houston, and the only "1" job for nursing was for an LVN. I find it very hard to believe that there is only one job for nursing in all of Harris County. This is a huge area with Houston as a major city. Am I looking in the wrong place? I did find a WIC Nutritionist position that looked interesting but it was the only position that met my qualifications. I also looked at an adjacent county which had no nursing positions, only paramedic. I have been a Med/Surg RN for 1.5 yrs now. Where should I be looking?

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Specializes in OB-Gyn/Primary Care/Ambulatory Leadership.

Yes, county health departments is one place. If you have a large safety net hospital organization (like a county hospital), they often have public health jobs as well. Nurse-Family Partnership has a lot of public health jobs all over the country - you can go to their website for job openings.

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